Professionalism - Until the Very End

Hello everybody!

I can’t believe I’ve reached the end and I’m submitting my final blog post! What a journey it has been. The biggest conclusion I can draw from my internship is that PR students definitely need to gain hands on work experience prior to seeking employment in the industry! Although our university degrees have helped us understand PR considerably, entering PR reality is another world. I was introduced to new techniques, methods, policies and procedures. Ultimately, every organisation is different; therefore, I believe a degree is just the beginning of our learning in PR.

In my last few weeks of work experience with Devahasdin Communications, I was lucky enough to do some promotional writing for the organisation itself (very proud as essentially this is PR for the PR firm), be involved in sponsorship proposal writing, write media releases and award submissions to name a few. I feel very blessed to have done my internship at Devahasdin Communications as they willingly taught me so much about PR and were delightful to work with.

Above all, Devahasdin Communications taught me the importance of professionalism, especially in consultancy work. PR consultants have many responsibilities; to their organisation, to their client and even the media. Much of the success of PR consultants is attributable to relationship building with these stakeholders. When the consultant forms a relationship with the client, they must constantly give the client priority and seek to assist them in every possible way. A way that one of the consultants put it was “you must mould your personality to suit the client”. Furthermore, PR consultants are persistently pitching stories to the media for a number of different clients all at once. Hence, strong relationships need to be formulated to compel the journalist to look at the press kits they are receiving; otherwise, this can feel like spam. Nevertheless, it is essential for the PR consultant to maintain a level of professionalism. No matter what sort of relationship building activities are executed, professionalism is integral as the company’s reputation is at stake.

Devahasdin Communications consultants are all professionals. They use education, experience and training to complete their work, analyse problems and provide solutions. Although, the PR consultants are warm and friendly, they probe to gain a broader knowledge of the clients business. Furthermore, they are honest, trustworthy, dependable, and give clients the space to offer contributions and suggestions. Devahasdin Communications, 110% respect client confidentiality and execute all work with strong ethics. Lastly, the consultants continue to learn every day, through professional development initiatives, training programs and they keep abreast of all industry trends, challenges, opportunities and current affairs. This is very similar to what we have done in the report.

In conclusion, my placement was extremely enriching. I learnt a lot about PR activities and the consulting industry through first-hand experience. Moreover, I can also say I have become more confident in my PR skills. I hope you all have gained value from your internships! All the very best with your reports and your future learning endeavours and careers,

Kind regards,
Suzi Petkucevska

Ethical Reporting

When a student nears the end of their university degree, there is always that question of just how similar real life practice will be to the material learnt at university. Interestingly, a lot of what we learn at uni does go on in the real world. Do you like report writing? I hope so, because if you enter the PR industry, you will be writing reports, particularly in consultancy. One of the tasks I had to carry out was write a report for one of Devahasdin’s clients. The purpose of the report was to demonstrate the work carried out and the results achieved by the consultancy in a media relations campaign. Now cast your mind back to our consultancy unit. We were taught that we had to demonstrate to clients the return on their investment (ROI). This is the focus of my blog post.

The report contained an overview, objectives, a section on targeted media channels and whether publicity was obtained, a publicity value table and press clippings. The publicity value table describes where media coverage was achieved as well as the estimated value of publicity. You may remember this as being called “advertising value equivalency” (AVE). Although through our study of consultancies we learnt that AVEs are an invalid form of measurement with questionable ethics, clients using PR services love them. AVEs provide a numerical figure which makes it easier to quantify ROI. As we all know, ROI is quite difficult to determine in a PR context. The unethical implications of using AVEs result from PR practitioners adding ‘credibility’ multipliers. For example, say media coverage was secured in the West Australian. The PR company would determine the cost of the space if it was an advertisement and then multiply this figure to take into account that publicity is viewed as more credible then advertising etc. Some consultancies multiply by 3 to 10!!! I am proud to say that my organisation does not engage in this practice. They merely provide the value of the press clipping dimensions if it were a paid advertisement as there is a pressing demand from clients.

AVE can be used to calculate print and electronic coverage. It must be remembered and communicated to clients that AVEs measure costs of an ad, not the dollar value of publicity. AVEs do not take into account factors such as whether the editorial was positive or negative. Furthermore, AVE can underestimate the value of the exposure due to the credibility provided because the publicity is endorsed by a third party. Here is a very interesting argument by the Digimarketing Convo Blog http://digimarketingconvo.blogspot.com/2010/01/debate-eav-what-is-it-actually.html

Prior to discovering that organisations in practice do use AVE to demonstrate to clients the success of a publicity campaign, I thought of this approach to be unsuitable and unethical. However, after witnessing the use of AVEs in action, I believe there is some value in the adoption of this measurement. At the very least, it provides clients with the figure that they demand. Furthermore, I don’t see a problem with this measurement as long as there are no credibility multipliers. Clients should be informed that certain factors lead to AVEs overestimating or underestimating the value of publicity. As long as AVEs are used in conjunction with other reporting measures I think they are helpful in aiding the clients’ understanding of publicity and its value. I will likely adopt the use of AVEs in my future as a PR practitioner.

Kind regards,

Suzi Petkucevska

Communicating with the Media

Throughout our years of PR study, one topic in particular has continued to resurface: the relationship between PR professionals and the media. In first year we were taught that PR people and journalists disliked each other, but needed each other. PR people provide journalists with story ideas and journalists assist organisations by providing them with media exposure to aid the pursuit of their objectives. As we delved deeper into our degrees we were taught to ensure we understand the pressing needs of journalists and the demands that have been placed upon them. Journalists are bombarded with information, they have strict deadlines, they want newsworthy stories... the list goes on. More recently, we were taught that we need to build relationships with journalists and provide them with consistent and quality information, every time. Today I gained further insight into this fascinating issue.

Today was the day I had been looking forward to since before I commenced my internship with Devahasdin Communications: the Carson Kressley events at Westfield! The purpose of the Carson Kressley events was essentially to promote Westfield shopping centres as fashion destinations and to make them the consumers’ centre of choice for styling. Not only did this experience prove to be enjoyable, I also discovered a few things about communicating with the media. Although I missed out on the Westfield Whitfords City show, I did attend the Westfield Carousel appearance. Upon arrival, we were given special lanyards to signify our roles. As Sandra Devahasdin, my supervisor and I were waiting for further instructions from the client (Westfield), Carson walked passed! I was lucky enough to personally meet him, introduce myself and shake his hand. This encounter created an internal conflict for me. On the one hand, I was star struck, in awe! I just met Carson Kressley! On the other hand, I represented Devahasdin Communications as a PR person. Consequently, I composed myself, smiled and maintained a high level of professionalism. It is noteworthy that as PR professionals, we are likely to come in to contact with celebrities. Nevertheless, we must uphold our integrity and professionalism.

We moved downstairs to where the event was set up in the centre court and waited by the sidelines for the media. My supervisor was expecting the community news. The show started and after 30 minutes had passed there was still no sign of any media. Our job as PR people was to manage the media, ensure they did their job properly, ensure they were happy and facilitate any queries they may have.PR people also discuss with the media prior to an event the topics they should confer with the talent. The media did not end up coming. My supervisor believed this was the case because there was no opportunity to interview Carson Kressley. Furthermore, my supervisor said that PR people must understand that the media may not turn up and the client may not gain exposure. As we all know very well by now, the media presents UNCONTROLLED communication. Nevertheless, PR people should always have a backup method to approach the media with. This is something new I learnt today. Devahasdin had arranged their own photographer and subsequently offered community news a photo opportunity. This represented a different avenue for the client to gain coverage. Fortunately for Devahasdin, Westfield and the Carson event did gain coverage on http://www.perthnow.com.au/, check out the story! http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/perth-confidential/carson-kressley-makes-over-perth-women/story-e6frg30l-1225859555252 Also, prior to the event Sydney Morning Herald online also ran a story about Carson’s shows! http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/this-seasons-fashion-trends--can-you-wear-them-20100427-tpat.html The first image below is of Carson and selected audience members to receive a style makeover. The second image shows the audience members with their makeovers.

From this experience I learnt several points about communicating with the media. Firstly, as a PR person never take no as a no. PR people must be proactive and think of alternative ways to facilitate the media in order to be successful in securing a story. Always come prepared with various story angles. Never, ever be rude to the media. Although there will be times when the media may disappoint you, (such as what we experienced today when the media did not show up), always be friendly and positive. The media will remember if a PR person has been rude to them and as a result will likely disregard any future attempts to gain coverage. Lastly, a PR person must be nice and courteous to everybody, not just the editor or journalists; this list includes but is not limited to the photographer, the videographer, the personal assistant, the marketing manager and the receptionist. Being nice will get you everywhere. Try your best to benefit your client but never discount the importance of positive relations with the media. Long term success will ensure as a result.

Kind regards,

Suzi Petkucevska

First Impressions Count

On Monday, April 19, 2010, I got my first impression of PR in practice...and I liked it....

As I drove to Devahasdin Communications in West Perth, nerves began to set in. At the same time however, I could not wait to immerse myself in real world public relations practice. My colleagues were extremely friendly. Double ticks for internal communication. I was escorted to my work station and given a task almost immediately. Task one centred on imputing data into an excel spreadsheet derived from various newspaper sections for one of Devahasdin’s clients. This information was being built up weekly as part of a targeted marketing strategy to sell the client’s products to a niche market segment. This was fantastic. I was excited! Thus far, I had never been taught the value of extracting certain information for niche targeting. Not even 15 minutes into my internship and I had learnt an incredibly important tactic.

Soon after, my supervisor asked me to accompany him on a photo shoot! A different client – Opera Baroque, a newly established company in Perth had gained some news exposure in The Post (thanks to Devahasdin!). Consequently, a photographer met us at the Cottesloe Civic Centre to take the picture which would accompany the news story. Here, my supervisor taught me some lessons about media relations, specifically, photographers:

• Don’t be too controlling when at a photo shoot, unless absolutely necessary, let the photographer do their thing.


• Use a relaxed approach.


• When facilitating a photo shoot, ASK for suggestions from the photographer, only offer suggestions when requested.
• Allow the client to feel a sense of ownership and cater to their needs.

On the drive back to the office my supervisor gave me a lesson on ethics. Simply put, NEVER lie to journalists and respect the journalist’s job and their objectives– offer exclusivity where possible. Don’t try to get publicity, be completely transparent and deliver the facts of the story. Using this approach, exposure is more likely to ensure. Additionally, I was informed of various projects I will help work on and I can barely contain my excitement. Because one of Devahasdin’s clients is Westfield, we are facilitating renowned US stylist Carson Kressley’s tour of the shopping centres! Fashion is my passion, so I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity. Check out this fantastic PR event: http://bestyled.westfield.com.au/events

Upon returning to the office I received task two. Again, this was a task I had not previously learnt at uni. Working for Opera Baroque once more, I had to convert several CVs into bios. Sure it sounds easy, but it was quite a challenge. In order to do this, the skill of writing takes vanguard. To create a bio, you must tell the story of that person and romance it. When I completed one, my supervisor checked it and was impressed. I felt so good. My first opportunity to prove my capabilities was fruitful. For those of you playing at home – the purpose of these bios is to provide the media with background information concerning the main players of Friday’s news story. There’s one extra thing you can add to your media kit check list!

Thanks for reading and I hope your placements are proving to be enriching and valuable, this is most certainly the case for me.

Kind regards,

Suzi Petkucevska